Darth Desolous, whose birth occurred around 3522 BBY, began as a male Pau'an Jedi Master before his transformation into a Sith Lord. His study of Sith doctrines and subsequent descent into the dark side of the Force resulted in his banishment from the Jedi Order. Assuming the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith, Desolous vowed vengeance against the Jedi and raised an army composed of Pau'ans. He instructed them in martial arts and deployed them in his conflict against the Jedi. Desolous and his forces killed nearly two thousand Jedi, until the Jedi Order defeated them in a battle that took place on the planet Yaga Minor. Desolous perished in this battle. Later, a likeness of Darth Desolous was integrated into the Jedi Temple's Trial of Skill program. In 3 BBY, the program initiated itself and fought Darth Vader's secret apprentice, the Sith Lord Starkiller, who ultimately defeated it.
The individual who would eventually become known as Darth Desolous was initially a highly respected Pau'an male Jedi Master with a birthdate around 3522 BBY. As a skilled combatant with a thirst for battle, the Jedi Master delved into Sith teachings and succumbed to the dark side of the Force, leading to his removal from the Jedi Order. Consumed by rage, this individual adopted the identity of the Sith Lord "Darth Desolous" and pledged to exact revenge upon the Jedi. In effect, Desolous became the Dark Lord of the Sith of that era. Soon after, Desolous commenced the training of a Pau'an army in his unique martial arts style, integrating cortosis shields with close-quarters combat.
He then mobilized his army in a series of attacks against Jedi Knights across the galaxy, resulting in the deaths of almost two thousand Jedi. With each victory, Desolous's confidence grew, but so did his recklessness and arrogance. This carelessness ultimately led to his demise, when Desolous and his army assaulted a small group of Jedi on the planet Yaga Minor. However, these Jedi were intentionally placed as bait to lure Desolous into a strategically unfavorable situation. When Desolous launched his attack on Yaga Minor, a substantial Jedi fleet emerged from hyperspace, effectively cutting off the Sith Lord's retreat. Desolous's Pau'an forces were overwhelmed and ultimately destroyed, and the Sith Lord himself was defeated, allegedly requiring the combined efforts of the entire Jedi Council.
The impact of Darth Desolous persisted long after his death. Although his original name was forgotten, his Sith name became associated with intense hatred and anger. Consequently, Desolous's image was eventually incorporated into the Jedi Trials program for Padawans under consideration for promotion to Jedi Knight status. The realistic likeness of Desolous served as a representation of a Padawan's individual weaknesses and, as part of the "Trial of Skill," aimed to assist students in mastering their fundamental emotions. Appearing in the Coruscant Jedi Temple's trial chamber, the simulation was fully aware of Desolous's physical death, and it boasted that it required the powers of the entire Jedi Council to kill him. Even after the Jedi Temple was devastated in 19 BBY during Operation: Knightfall, the simulacrum of Desolous remained active, awaiting another opponent to engage in battle.
That battle finally unfolded around 3 BBY, when the Dark Lord of the Sith Darth Vader dispatched his secret apprentice, Starkiller, to the Jedi Temple to further his training. Upon Starkiller's entry into the Trials Chamber, Desolous, wielding his signature cortosis shield and a red-bladed lightsaber, attacked him with a burst of red Force lightning. The two engaged in a duel, with Desolous continuously mocking Starkiller and boasting about the murders he had committed during his life. However, Starkiller prevailed by throwing the ancient Sith Lord to the chamber floor and toppling a statue onto him. Receiving new orders from Vader, Starkiller then departed the Jedi Temple and embarked on a new mission.
Darth Desolous was a Pau'an with gray skin and black eyes. Prior to his fall to the dark side, Desolous was a well-regarded Jedi Master. However, he was afflicted by a craving for battle, which ultimately led to his corruption. Following his expulsion from the Jedi Order, Desolous became consumed by rage and vengeance, relentlessly slaughtering numerous Jedi Knights in his bloodthirsty pursuit. With each kill, Desolous grew increasingly arrogant, and in his overconfidence, he failed to recognize the Jedi trap on Yaga Minor until it was too late. Desolous's original name was eventually forgotten, and his legacy became synonymous with hatred and rage.
Desolous's self-assurance was clearly reflected in the Jedi Temple training program based on him. The simulation exhibited self-awareness, believing itself to be more powerful in death than Desolous had been in life, and expressed the intention to reclaim leadership of the Sith. The artificial manifestation acknowledged Starkiller's strength in the dark side but still considered the apprentice no match for him.
Darth Desolous was a formidable warrior who developed a unique fighting style that emphasized the use of a cortosis shield in conjunction with a melee weapon. The shield was employed to deflect an opponent's attacks—even lightsaber strikes—leaving the enemy vulnerable to a counterattack. Desolous possessed sufficient power to confront and kill numerous Jedi, and his simulacrum later claimed that the Sith Lord had only been defeated by the combined strength of the Jedi Council members. The Desolous simulacrum utilized a cortosis shield and a red-bladed lightsaber, supplementing their use with powers of the Force, including lightning, rage, and telekinesis.
The character of Darth Desolous was initially mentioned on Holocron continuity database administrator Leland Chee's blog in 2006, where it was stated that his name was inspired by the word "desolate." No additional information was revealed about him until 2008, with the release of The Force Unleashed video game. Darth Desolous, appearing as a Jedi simulation, was featured in one of the Jedi Temple levels exclusive to the Krome Studios-developed PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Nintendo Wii versions of the game, with Kristoffer Tabori providing his voice. In these versions of The Force Unleashed, entering "PAUAN" as a cheat code unlocks Darth Desolous as a playable character skin. Desolous is also available as an unlockable character in the PSP version's "Force Duel" mode.
The precise nature of Desolous's appearance in The Force Unleashed is somewhat unclear. Nevertheless, the game's databank entry for Jedi Trials suggests that the simulacrum is projected using the Force, stating that, "Some of the most common trials involved battles against fearsome Force constructs lurking deep within the bowels of the Jedi Temple." Conversely, The Jedi Path: A Manual for Students of the Force, a 2010 reference book, describes a holographic projector installed within the Jedi Temple following the final battle on the planet Ruusan during the New Sith Wars. According to the book, this projector was utilized during the Jedi Trials to create simulations of deceased dark side "monsters." The book's author, Daniel Wallace, later verified on his blog that he intended this line to allude to Darth Desolous and Darth Phobos—another Sith simulation from The Force Unleashed—but he refrained from explicitly mentioning their names to avoid any potential timeline inconsistencies.
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